My Thrifty Retirement - Week 7

 

We had some fabulous weather over the previous weekend, especially last Sunday.  I was able to get outside and get to work on my big landscape project that I've been wanting to do for a very long time.  Finally!  I get to do it!  Needless to say it dominated the majority of my week.  I used a couple gift cards to help keep my expenses as low as possible.  I'll be putting up posts on my other blog with updates and progress.

 

My youngest's last day of school was Wednesday, her graduation is this week.  Thursday morning she and I ran some errands together which included a trip to the grocery store for a few sales items and whatever else we could find for a good deal.  We lucked out when we found seven of the one pound packages of ground turkey for 79¢ each!  It was a wonderful score for us and we were both very excited.  I also picked up two of the three pound packages of their lean ground beef on sale for $8.97.  I had two coupons for $1.10 OFF on each one plus a $2 OFF digital coupon for their meat department making each one of those packages of ground beef cost only $6.87.  We also got some marked down produce and ice cream on sale.  Tortillas chips were on sale too and I had coupons for both the ice cream and the chips.  My daughter is ready to start her summer!

 

Friday morning my daughter and I got the garden planted.  It has been a crazy spring weather wise so I'm hopeful things will do well and we'll have some fresh homegrown produce to show for our efforts.  I'll keep you updated on the progress of the garden.  Let's hope I have something to update you with.

 

I Saturday off from yard work and gardening as it was my oldest daughter's college graduation.  We got up early and made the drive over and it was a beautiful day.  Good thing as the ceremony was outside.  I'm so proud of my girls I can't even tell you.  It's hard to believe that we are at this point right now.  It seems like just the other day I was helping her move into her dorm.

 

A proud mama with her little ducklings

I will apologize in advance if it sounds like I am bragging, because I am.  She received her Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and physics in only three years.  She has worked very hard and is wicked smart, that one.  And now I get to share with you that my oldest daughter will be doing an internship with NASA this summer and that she got accepted to Columbia University in NYC to complete her second degree in mechanical engineering and quite possibly graduate school!  I could just about burst, I'm so happy for her and beyond proud.  She has worked so hard for this opportunity.

 

Our meals were a continuation of the prior week using up more leftover leftovers I had in the fridge as well as squirreled away in the freezer.  I'm finally seeing some space opening up in that freezer now.  I finished up refrigerator leftovers the first part of the week (taco salads, black bean burgers) and then pulled out some split pea soup, for quick and easy meal midweek and I turned two leftover hotdogs and some veggies into Poor Man's Meal, or at least my version of it anyway.  I used the deli ham I got on markdown the week prior to make ham sandwiches and eggs benedict a couple of times too.  I used veggies I had in the crisper drawer to make a huge salad that lasted us several days.  It was a great week of thrifty, tasty and nutritious meals with no food waste.

I made an apple rhubarb crisp with rhubarb grown in our garden

I hope you are all doing well.  Let me know what exciting things you've been up to.